PDF or Word: which CV file should you send?

When to send your CV as a PDF and when a recruiter needs a Word file, how applicant tracking systems read each, and the formatting choices that keep both readable.

You've finished your CV. Now the upload form asks for a file, and you have two choices. Here's when to use each, and why the way the file is built matters more than its extension.

Send a PDF by default

A PDF looks the same on every computer, phone and operating system: fonts, spacing and page breaks stay exactly where you put them. That's why it's the right default for:

• applying through company career pages and job boards
• emailing a hiring manager directly
• anything where first impressions matter

One condition: the PDF must contain real text, not a picture of text. If you can't select a word in your PDF, applicant tracking systems (ATS) can't read it either, and your CV may come through as blank. Scanned CVs, CVs exported as images, and some design tools all have this problem.

PDFs from the JobPLT CV Builder are generated as real text, so you can select and copy every word, and an ATS can parse your name, dates and skills.

Send Word when it's requested

A Word file (.docx) is the better choice when:

• a recruitment agency asks for it. Many agencies reformat CVs into their own branded template, or remove contact details before sending them to clients.
• the job ad or form says "Word only", which some older applicant tracking systems still require.
• someone needs to edit it, such as a mentor reviewing your wording.

Word files can look slightly different depending on the installed fonts and the Word version. Keep the layout simple and it won't matter.

What makes a file ATS-friendly

Whichever format you choose, the structure inside it matters most:

1. Real text in a normal reading order, not text boxes floating around the page.
2. Standard section headings like Experience, Education and Skills, or the local equivalent, such as Berufserfahrung in Germany.
3. Consistent dates in one format throughout: 03/2021, Mar 2021, not a mix.
4. Simple tables only. A two-column layout or a date column is fine; complex nested tables aren't.
5. No important information in headers, footers or images.
6. Common fonts: Calibri, Cambria, Arial, Georgia and similar.

The CV Builder's Word export follows these rules. It uses real Word paragraphs, bullet lists and simple tables for the date column or sidebar, never text boxes, so the file stays editable and readable.

Name the file properly

CV_final_v3_new.pdf doesn't help anyone. Use your name and the document type:

• Priya-Sharma-CV.pdf
• Anna-Schmidt-Lebenslauf.pdf for Germany

JobPLT names your downloads like this automatically.

A quick checklist before you hit send

• ☐ Can you select the text in the PDF?
• ☐ Do the dates follow one format?
• ☐ Is your phone number in the local format, such as +91, +49, +61 or +971?
• ☐ Does the length fit the country: 1–2 pages for India and Germany, 2–3 for Australia, 2 for the UAE?
• ☐ Did you send what the employer asked for?

Download both

In the CV Builder, the PDF and Word buttons sit next to each other at the top of the editor. Download both and keep them together, so you can send whichever the employer asks for.